The Boeing 737 Rudder Paint shop in Renton, Wash., is using a new sanding
device that reduces the vibrations painters experience while sanding
rudder skins prior to painting.

The new tool, called EMMA for Easily Manipulated Mechanical Arm, was
used during a trial period last year and was fully implemented in November
2004.

The rudder skins arrive with a topcoat, and before being painted, the
surface must be reactivated by sanding with a handheld, air-powered sander
so that the paint adheres to it. Sanding also eliminates any material
defects or imperfections to ensure
a quality product for customers.

Hand-held sanders subject painters to hand-arm vibration, high-grip
forces and many awkward postures. These are risk factors that may cause
soft tissue injuries
that are both painful and costly.

But the new tool uses a mechanical arm controlled by two joysticks that
painters
manipulate at a distance from the sander, said Tom Lobb, project manager in Material
and Process Technology (M&PT), who oversaw the engineering evaluation and testing
and installation of the device
into the Rudder Paint shop. "The device is dramatically more ergonomic and user-friendly
than manual sanding," he said.

Dave Schaffer, paint lead, said that
since he's been using EMMA to sand rudder
skins the work has been "pain free," and production, as well as morale, has "gone
through the roof."

"EMMA has become my best friend in
the shop," Schaffer said. "It saves so much time and allows painters to concentrate
on
the quality of work."

Schaffer's home life has improved as
well. "It's a great feeling to come home and play with my kids without hurting
or soreness
in my shoulder from working, and I
can even play golf again," he said.

Kenny Downs, M&PT factory support, said that during the trial phase
the tool helped this step in the painting process to be more efficient.
During testing, EMMA was able to maintain a sanding rate over continuous
surfaces of 300 square feet (27 square meters) per hour on the topcoat.
This compares with an estimated average rate of 42 square feet (3.8 square
meters)
per hour with manual sanding.

"Using our old method, painters could only work for a couple of hours
before
they'd have to rest because of tingling and numbness in their shoulders, arms
and wrists," Downs said. "It's really made a difference in terms of employee
morale."

John Wentz of Temple Allen Industries, and general manager and inventor
of EMMA, said the real champions in the shop are the painters, as opposed
to the
tool.

"The brains and skill behind the mechanism is the painters as they maintain
100
percent control of the process and quality
of work," Wentz said. "EMMA is not a robot.
It's an extension of the painters themselves
using a better tool."

Lobb said that EMMA has potential for reducing worker exposure to vibrations
in scores of shops throughout Boeing that require the sanding of detailed
parts.

The Composite Manufacturing Center in Frederickson, Wash., is implementing
an EMMA this month to prepare the surface of 777 bare composite components.
Other
Boeing shops are evaluating the tool.